Cat and Mouse
by Sugarbubbleslove
Summary: Spring Kinkfest Prompt for February 9th – Kasumi/Ryu –Hurt/Comfort– 'It was a game of Cat and Mouse, and she was the mouse.'


Title: Cat & Mouse

Characters: Kasumi/Ryu

Rating: Teen

Disclaimers: I do not own anyone/anything from the forum Dead or Alive. Team Ninja owns Dead or Alive and its characters. There is no copyright infringement intended. I do not make any profit/money or take any credit.

Summary: It was a game of Cat and Mouse, and she was the mouse.

A/N: Prompt for February 9th – Kasumi/Ryu –Hurt/Comfort– 'It was a game of Cat and Mouse, and she was the mouse.'

Timeline: Post DOA 4

Word Count: 1,854

Betaed: No

~~~~Cat & Mouse~~~~

Kasumi held herself stiffly as she leaned against Ryu while he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close as they waited for the ninjas chasing after her darted past them, falling for the trick.

Once they were safely out of sight, Kasumi relaxed into Ryu's embrace, resisting the urge to sigh in case it brought back the assassins.

"Are you okay?" Ryu's soft voice asked into her ear and she nodded.

"I'm fine, they just chased me," she assured him.

"Good," he pushed her away slightly before turning her around and brought her back into an embrace before they disappeared in a shower of dark green leaves, which faded before they even hit the ground.

Kasumi opened her eyes when they came to a stop to see that they were at Ryu's village instead of his curio shop. She looked up at him curiously and he shrugged.

"It was closer," he admitted and she gave him a soft smile before she pulled out of his embrace, suddenly aware of everyone's eyes on them. Some of the kids were nearby, watching them with intense curiosity.

"It's been a while since I was here," Kasumi admitted as she looked around taking in the sight. It was different due to the fact the village had been attacked and mostly destroyed. It had taken them a while to rebuild it but at the time, she had gone on the run, wanting revenge for what had happened to her family.

"Master Hayabusa," a small girl piped up, tugging on one of the slots where his throwing knifes were kept. She obviously had been braver than the rest of her friends. Ryu knelt down on one knee so he was at eye-level with the girl. She had long black hair that was pulled back into a pony-tail and bright brown eyes.

"Hello Chitose," he greeted. He got a shy smile in return before the brown eyes landed on Kasumi once more and she leaned in, not taking her eyes off Kasumi.

"Who's that?" she whispered.

"Her name is Kasumi, she's a friend," Ryu whispered back, obviously indulging the girl.

"She's pretty," she whispered back. Kasumi flushed while Ryu chuckled before Chitose's eyes looked at him. "Can we keep her? Daddy says you need a wife." Ryu arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, he does?" he teased and Chitose nodded, obviously very serious.

"Kasumi looks really pretty and I think she'll be a good wife for you." The last part was said in a firm tone that attracted some of the older villagers as they looked over curiously.

"Kasumi and I are just good friends," Ryu informed Chitose as he stood up. "I'm helping to protect her." Chitose tilted her head curiously.

"Mommy said Daddy was her good friend and he helped to protect her so they got married!" Chitose informed Ryu like he was missing the point. There were muffled laughers from the older people while Ryu and Kasumi looked at Chitose before looking at each other then away, feeling awkward. There was a call of Chitose's name and she turned to see her friends were calling for her and she turned to face the couple once more and gave them a sweet smile. "Gotta go!" she darted off as fast as her little legs could carry her.

Ryu was about to say something to Kasumi when he heard his father calling him. Ryu turned to see Joe was standing further down and waved to indicate he wanted to talk to his son. Ryu gave a short wave back before he turned to face Kasumi.

"I need to go. You can wander about, just don't leave the village," he warned her. Kasumi frowned.

"I shouldn't stay here. Hayate will think you are betraying him by having me here. I do not wish to create disharmony between the two clans."

"Don't leave the village," Ryu repeated in a firm tone before he walked off. Kasumi stared at his back before shaking her head. He was always so stubborn. She looked around before she remembered that there had been a river leading to a waterfall lake nearby and decided to ask one of the villagers for directions.

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Kasumi sighed as she sat down on the high rocks, dipping her feet into the water and relishing the cool water over her skin. She spotted the children on the other side of the lake playing games and a wave of sadness crashed over her. It reminded her so much of how her childhood used to be like. She would play games with Hayate, her brother and Ayane, who had been her best friend at the time before they found out that Ayane was their half-sister and she distanced herself from Kasumi, resenting her because the clan had accepted her but treated Ayane with disgust.

It felt like it was a game of cat and mouse to her, and she was the mouse. It hurt her deeply to know that her family were the ones who were calling for her death. She knew her mother and father were against the order but they couldn't do anything about it, after all, the clan was supposed to come first. That was the first thing she had been taught when they decided to make her the leader of the clan in replacement of her brother. Blood doesn't mean anything, the clan is everything.

She sighed as she watched the children giggle, throwing skipping stones into the lake and watching as they skipped merrily along the glassy surface, leaving ripples behind. She envied them; they still held their childhood innocence. They didn't know anything of betrayal or taking a life. They were still untainted.

Her eyes wandered over to the lake where the waterfall was and she gazed at it. It was still remarkable as the last time she had seen it. She remembered going for a dip before getting caught by Ryu and received a scolding for disappearing without telling anyone. It was one of her most cherished memories, Ayane had teased her about Ryu going crazy about her being missing while Hayate had teased Ryu, saying he was even more protective than own brother.

Kasumi came out of her thoughts when she felt someone sit down next to her and saw Ryu looking at the waterfall as well.

"You scared me that time," Ryu said his eyes dark as he was lost in his memories, "you were new to the area and you just disappeared. Everyone was convinced you were alright but all I could think was the Dark Spider clan had been scouring the area at the time." Understanding dawned on Kasumi.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, drawing her knees up and resting her chin on them as she wrapped her arms around her legs. "I never meant to scare you. I had heard about the waterfall from one of the villagers and I wanted to see it myself as I hadn't seen a waterfall before."

"And went for a swim," he remembered wryly. Kasumi blushed before she laughed.

"You lectured me for a full five minutes before you actually noticed that I was naked then turned a fetching shade of red," Kasumi teased him. Even now, there was still a hint of red on his cheeks as he remembered before shaking his head.

"You're just lucky it was me that came by, not someone else," he reminded before muttering something under his breath like 'at least I had some control', confusing Kasumi before she left it alone knowing Ryu was a private person.

"I…I sometimes wish we could go back then," Kasumi whispered. Ryu looked at her to see she was staring into the water. Fishes swam back and forth, their colour glittering brilliantly due to the sunray. "Life was so much simpler then." Ryu nodded understanding where Kasumi was coming from. To her, life had been simple. She and Ayane had been the best friends and Hayate had been safe, their lives hadn't been torn by Kasumi's cruel and ruthless uncle. She chuckled suddenly, startling Ryu.

"Something's funny?" he asked and she looked at him.

"I even entertained the idea of us being together," she told him with a simple smile. "We could have been. Hayate was the one who was to lead the Clan. I was told that there had been an arranged marriage for me because the man was in line to become the head of his own clan. I wished that it would have been you because I knew you and I was attracted to you, marriage with you would have been something I wanted." The smile faded from her face. "Then…" she trailed off as a tear slipped free. Ryu, unable to cope with her crying, reached out and wiped the tear away.

"Did you ever find out who you were to marry?" Ryu asked. His parents had never mentioned an arranged marriage to him but then again, they had been about to tell him something when they received news regarding the family. Kasumi shook her head.

"They told me it was cancelled when they asked me to take over the clan. There wasn't a way for two leaders of the clan to be together. I was disappointed. I think with everything that was happening; my need for revenge just took over. I had something to hold onto, something to focus on."

"You avenged your mother, brother and sister," Ryu pointed out and Kasumi's lips curled down bitterly.

"And it worked out so well. My own brother continues to lead the clan against me. My own mother and father can no longer be in contact with me. My own sister wants my head on a pike because she resents the fact that she was the outcast because of how she was conceived. If I had known about her being my sister…" Kasumi was cut off when Ryu placed his hand over hers.

"What is done is done," he told her softly. "We cannot change the past and we cannot change a person's attitude toward us. Ayane knew of you two being sisters but she chose to withheld it from you. Hayate misses you. He hates sending the clan after you but…"

"Clan is everything, it must always be placed above blood, no matter what," Kasumi finished off bitterly and got a nod from Ryu. He had hated that motto on more than one occasion himself, wishing that he could protect his family but must put duty first. "Do you think that maybe on day…it'll stop feeling like a game? That they'll stop being the cat and I'll stop being a mouse?"

"I think…anything is possible…" Ryu told her, removing his hand from hers and wrapped his arm over her shoulders, pulling her into a side-way hug. "You're strong, Kasumi. You will find a way through this. And I will be here for you, no matter what." Kasumi rested her head on his shoulder.

"I still think you would have made a good husband," she told him and got a chuckle in return as they relaxed, watching the children playing games.

The End

The name Chitose came from Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterflies


End file.
